Mellow
by Yamato Ishida
Summary: It's a Tai/Matt friendship fic. It's pretty cool.


Mellow  
Author: Zero (a.k.a. Yamato Ishida)  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon: Digital Monsters  
  
  
  
Everything just seems so surreal. The low mist, the dark and empty streets, it just gives a really creepy feel to the place. I didn't even know where I was, but I kept walking anyway. It was pretty cold, so I pulled my coat closer, and brought my head lower to my jacket. I could see the little puffs of smoke coming from my mouth, and blowing past me as I walked.  
  
I looked around again. The street was dark, except for the streetlights, and looking at the sides, I realized I couldn't even see the sides of the buildings that surrounded me. The darkness just gave them a mysteriousness that I didn't want to find out. I slowly passed a flickering streetlight, which was near a bench. I could see the advertisement clearly. It was on this lopsised angle, and it was very odd.  
  
'Come eat at Morton's!'  
  
I stared at it for a moment. It looked old, some parts teared off. There was a picture on it too. A really fat guy smiling, with his mouth open, a fork with a piece of steak twice the size of his mouth, dripping with sauce, about to eat it. Right below his left eye, it was tearing.  
  
The wind started up again, so I blew a piece of my brown hair with my breath. Shivering a bit, I started walking again. I was walking for what seemed decades, looking for a sign to point me home. Though it just seemed I was walking in circles.  
  
Then I heard strumming. Of a bass guitar.   
  
It wasn't just any strumming, as if the person was looking for the perfect sound. Like he's been working hard at it his entire life, but failing everytime. As I inched closer, I could hear his tuning getting closer to his goal. I stopped a few yards from him, when he did his final check.  
  
"Finally!" He yelled.  
  
I didn't believe it. Some people say that seeing is believing, but I still didn't believe it. He was standing here, in front of me, blonde hair, blue eyes, and all. He sat on a bench near a flickering streetlight. With an advertisement on the bench that said, 'Eat at Morton's!' that had a picture of a fat guy which was tearing under his left eye.  
  
"Hey, man," he said, as if he was expecting me.  
  
"Hey," I replied, with the same tone.  
  
"I haven't seen you in ages," he said, leaning his bass guitar down beside the bench.   
  
I sat down next to him, "I know. Too long, man. Too long."  
  
"Definately," he smiled, and leaned back. "How is everyone? I haven't seen them either. Y'know, I really miss all of them."  
  
"Oh, everyone's fine. Taking each day as it comes."  
  
"How's TK? I know I'm his older brother, but its really hard to keep track on him."  
  
"TK's doing fine."  
  
"Wasn't it his birthday a week ago?"  
  
"Yeah, there was a great party, man. Everyone was there, and he and Davis seemed to actually get along!"  
  
"Finally! Man, when i was there, they were always competing."  
  
"Yeah, just like us, when we were young'ens," I said, smiling. He smiled too.  
  
"How's everyone else doing?"  
  
"Everyone's doing great. Joe's officially a doctor now. Izzy's going out with Yolie. Mimi told us she got a modeling job in America. Kari and TK are still going out," he smiled. With everything that happened, I don't think Matt would recognize TK if he saw him. "Cody's now teaching Kendo. Ken's also became part of the group, and I think he and Davis are becoming best friends."  
  
"So you ask Sora out yet?" I blushed a little.  
  
"Yeah, man." He smiled, and patted me on the back.  
  
"That's great, I'm really happy for you." I still remember him egging me on to ask her out. Everytime I saw him, I always expected this question.   
  
"It's all because of you, too. I mean, you made me..." he cut me off.  
  
"Don't talk about it, man," he was smiling, but I knew it hurt.  
  
"Sorry," I sighed a little. "I wasn't thinking."  
  
"Don't worry, its cool. What's done is done, right?"  
  
"Yeah, you can't help the past."  
  
I leaned back, and my hands came upon something in my pocket. I took it out, and there was a picture of all of us. The last day when all of us were together. I didn't realize it then, but I was crying. Not loud, because I was trying to hold it in, but I couldn't help but let little sobs escape.  
  
"You alright?" He asked me.  
  
"Remember this?" I asked, showing him the picture. He gave a sigh, and it looked like he was going to cry too, but he just smiled. He smiled and looked at it, giving himself a mental picture of each of the figures in it.  
  
"We had some great times, the all of us."   
  
"Yeah," I replied, still stifling sobs.   
  
"Pull youself together, man!" He suddenly said. "You're going to see them again!" I had to give it to him. He could always lighten up the mood in any grim situation.   
  
"Thanks," I said.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"I'm glad I got to know you," I wiped the last tears off my face.   
  
"Yeah, you guys were great."  
  
"Hey, remember the time when we did that prank on Mimi and Sora?"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The one with the chocolate syrup and the M&M's!"   
  
He started laughing, and so did I. "I never knew anyone could get that mad!" He said between laughs. "Then we started that huge food fight that totally messed up Mimi's kitchen!"  
  
"I know! I thought I saw mad when we got them with the syrup, but after the food fight Mimi was mad." I started laughing again. "I was so scared I thought I was going to wet my pants!"  
  
He was laughing hard also, grabbing at his stomach, probably feeling a cramp. "Yeah! Then she made us eat the failed cupcakes that we were trying to make! Gross!!!"  
  
"I know! Those tasted so disgusting!"  
  
"Man, we had some great times together," he said. His laughing started to subside, as he extended his hand. I gave him five, and slouched further into the bench. The small puffs of my breath just seemed to float up, as I concentrated on them.   
  
I then started to feel guilty. I shivered a bit, not from the cold, but from the guilt. I sat up, and leaned forward, my hands over my mouth as tears started to flow from my eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, man?" He asked me. I knew he was concerened, and I knew he knew the answer.  
  
"Dammit, man," I said. "You're dead."  
  
He went quiet for awhile. But he smiled again. It was like he didn't have a care in the world, or where ever he was. He leaned back and let a few puffs of his breath escape his lips.  
  
"I am, aren't I?" He nonchalantly said, still with the smile.  
  
"It's just not the same without you," I started. "We really miss you, man. Even TK. Especailly TK. During his party, I actually found him crying in his room while looked at a picture of you two."  
  
"Which one was it?" He said. The smile now faded from his lips, and he just stared at the ground ahead of him.  
  
"It was when you guys were young. You were carrying him on your back," I stifled a sob then, "and you guys just looked so happy."  
  
"I remember that one," he said. He looked as if he was thinking. "That's the one that he keeps at his bedside. Out mom took that picture, and she gave it to me. I remember later that day, TK said that that was the best time he ever had in his life, so I gave the picture to him so he would always remember it."  
  
There was a large silence between us then. Not really awkward, because we each knew what the other was thinking.  
  
"What's it feel like?" I suddenly ask.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Death, man. How does it feel like?"  
  
"It's...interesting. Like an ocean. You can see the horizon, but it just doesn't end. You just wait and keep remembering stuff. There's no actualy way to describe it, except as mellow."  
  
He gave a little smile. 'Mellow.' The inside joke that only he and I know. It started when we were kids, and ended up until, I guess, today. We forgot where it came from, and I remembered just chilling with him, laughing together. Then one of us would say that, and we'd start laughing harder, and try to remember where we got that from. Of course we would never remember, which made it all the more special.  
  
"Hey, Tai?" I raised my head and faced him. "Next time you see TK, tell him I'm going to watch over him. Y'know, like a guardian angel thing."  
  
"I'm sure he's going to like that."  
  
He stood up then. "So I guess this is goodbye," he said, extending his arm.  
  
"Don't worry, Matt. I'll tell TK, and the others too." I stood up, grabbed his hand, and we shook hands.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"  
  
"I should know, its my crest, right?"  
  
"Yeah," then I pulled him into a hug. "I'm seriously gonna miss you, man." I said, crying.  
  
"I know," he said, still smooth.  
  
We released each other, as he put his hands into his pockets. I started to walk away, and turned around. Matt was still there, still with that smile that could swoon any girl, his blue eyes that can see into your soul, and his blonde hair that hung loosly and waved in the wind. The streetlight was still flickering, and I could see his body, almost like a strobelight. The darkness engulfing his body, then a split-second later, he would show up again, the same as ever. Then another split-second later, darkness.   
  
I looked at him, for what seemed like five years, but in reality was more like five seconds. His smile seemed to widen then, as his eyes went to the flickering streetlight.  
  
"Stupid lamp," he said. I couldn't help but smile.   
  
I looked at the lamp, and stared at its flickering pattern, then down at Matt. The light flickered, a few more times.  
  
Then in a split second it was dark, shadowing Matt's body again. Then light. I looked again, and he wasn't there. I blinked a few times, and tilted my head. His guitar was still there, but then another flicker later, it disappeared as well.  
  
Then I turned around and started walking again. I smiled to myself. I didn't care where this dark street took me, or where that one did. It didn't matter. I closed my eyes then. In the middle of the road, I smiled and took in everything around me, and released it. I let the dark street engulf me, as it did Matt. I knew everything was okay, because of this one conversation with him. I knew I didn't have to hold onto everything, and just let them flow, just like Matt. Just let it flow.  
  
  
******  
  
My eyes opened. I felt more comfortable than I've ever felt in my life. I sat up in my bed, and stared at my room. The light came through the blinds, and it reminded me of my dream. Light, dark, light, dark, I thought to myself, as I looked at the pattern the blinds made. I got up from bed, and got ready for school.  
  
I left my apartment and walked to school. I kept remembering the dream. I couldn't help but smile as I remembered the exact conversation I had with him.   
  
"Tai!" I turned around, to see Sora joggin up to me.  
  
"Hey Sora," I said, following up with a kiss.  
  
"Mmm, what was that for?" She asked, more than pleased.  
  
"I was just remembering a dream I had last night."  
  
"Really? What was it about?"  
  
"Matt."  
  
"Oh, Tai...I'm so sorry."  
  
I smiled and gave her another kiss. "Don't be."  
  
  
  
Author's Note: So what did you think of the fic? I know it was sorta boring at the beginning, but it was just to make the place where Tai was weirder. 


End file.
